Monkeyhouse Zendo:The didn't undermine the lesson at all. They demonstrated to his class just how much more limited their liberties are than their teacher believed. I'd say that was a pretty effective and valuable lesson.

And then THAT lesson got undermined when the district paid him 85 grand.

Monkeyhouse Zendo:Dadoody: I've always had full coverage. I work for a living. Isn't it strange how that works?

At least until you contracted something expensive in which case you'd have had your policy cancelled since you misspelled your middle name on a form at some point. In which case you'd be unable to get any insurance at all since your expensive condition is now "pre-existing".

Happened to a few people with cut rate Blue Cross insurance, which they did get some punishment for. A wrist slap really. Oh and you think Obama-Care fixed that whole pre-existing condition issue? I guess you don't actually follow the news as much as parrot talking points and other people's opinions.

There are many issues with the healthcare system in this country, but Gov't involvement has done little to resolve the actual problems and has done a lot to spike up the costs. They've done nothing to address the opaque billing gimmicks. Rather than address the greed issues going on in Healthcare, doctors, admins, and pharma-tech, we've just signed into law a bill that will only guarantee that we will pay more and more and more for less.

Logical arguments rarely win the day. long term planning is ignored. Everything we're doing is short term, unsustainable, and will blow up in our faces, and this isn't a left-right issue. As far as I've seen, many Republicans and Democrats are pretty much the same in terms of short term thinking and unsustainable governance. The only squabbles they have are on where all that pork is allocated.

As a bit of side note: The 'truck' (not sure if that's the proper spelling) at the top of a military base's main flag (at command headquarters) holds a razor blade, a 'light anywhere' match and a bullet. The intent is if the post is taken by enemy forces, the ranking officer drives a vehicle into the pole to knock down the flag, slices it up with the razor, sets it on fire and then shoots themselves in the head - a sort of final act of defiance. That question is asked from time to time during military promotion interviews and a number of people get it wrong.

Um. No. Jumping up and down on the flag and not being in trouble for it is possible in a lot of other countries as well - but good going buffing up the "Ignorant Americans don't realize that a lot of other countries have democracy and civil liberties" stereotype.

Monkeyhouse Zendo:varmitydog: Used to be they would make you read stuff like "man without a country" in English class, now they stomp on the flag. Then pay the douchebag so he won't sue when they can his sorry ass. This is not a change for the better.

Ah the halcyon days of Leave It To Beaver, where men were men, women were women, and the blacks knew there place. Amirite?

Um. No. Jumping up and down on the flag and not being in trouble for it is possible in a lot of other countries as well - but good going buffing up the "Ignorant Americans don't realize that a lot of other countries have democracy and civil liberties" stereotype.

Rescission hasn't happened to me, or anyone I know, so it's obviously just a ploy, and probably made up by Michael Moore. And Canadians have to be treated by native medicine men, because they didn't pay their doctors enough, cuz socialism, and they all left, and this is what you people want for the USA...

Ussc has ruled a student is not free to wear anything they want as it can cause an educational disruption. Shouldnt the same hold for teachers? Would he have been suspendef stomping a flag outside of campus? This was a matter of employer standards, not freedom of speech. A teacher can't yell and berate a student then cry freedom of speech, they would be fired.

The kids had no problem with the lesson. The shiat hit the fan when some of the parents found out. So there is hope for the future. He was, in fact, a well-liked teacher.

The reason he was going to get fired was because the school district has a vocal group of herp-derp old people who are always yelling about something. This just gave the district a softball, as opposed to answering questions about why they keep lying about student population greatly increasing, or why they went out of their way to get a board member removed.

No lie they had the state declare she didn't live in the area she was representing, even though she's paid taxes there many years.

Do something like this in Communist China or North Korea, and your butt gets hauled to a forced labor camp.

It's a double edged sword though - those same morons who stomp on flags and take extreme liberties with their liberties are the same people who also demand more government, which in turn starts restricting liberties.

demands more gov't -> [media.katu.com image 660x454] <- more gov't

Sooo, you want to live in the places where they treat people correctly, like North Korea? And you also thin that people who advocate for government programs to help the needy ALSO want more military, and want to be assaulted by police for exercising their First Amendment right??

Actually, he is right. Have you seen a Tea Partier stomp or burn the flag? Wear it maybe, but never stomp or burn it.

Do something like this in Communist China or North Korea, and your butt gets hauled to a forced labor camp.

It's a double edged sword though - those same morons who stomp on flags and take extreme liberties with their liberties are the same people who also demand more government, which in turn starts restricting liberties.

demands more gov't -> [media.katu.com image 660x454] <- more gov't

Sooo, you want to live in the places where they treat people correctly, like North Korea? And you also thin that people who advocate for government programs to help the needy ALSO want more military, and want to be assaulted by police for exercising their First Amendment right??

Actually, he is right. Have you seen a Tea Partier stomp or burn the flag? Wear it maybe, but never stomp or burn it.

jaytkay:South Carolina has a history of deep respect for American values.

[civilwar.gratzpa.org image 600x340]

========

Yup. These Red staters sure seem schizo. They hate Washington, prattle on endlessly about "The War of Northern Aggression", while constantly threatening to secede a second time, yet they'll kill you for talkin' bad about Murica and they disproportionately make up the members of the armed services of Murica.

Well, I'm all for secession. I'd like to see the Northeast secede from the rest of you farkwits. Maybe we could join Quebec, or the EU, even with the problems the EU is having we'd be a hell of a lot better off without the rest of you.

ghare:hasty ambush: ghare: I have a theory that the Republican party is just a front for lawyers who get rich suing states for obviously unconstitutional actions.

Actually you have you have your parties confused considering who scum sucking maggot trial lawyers give the bulk of their political contributions to:

American Assn for Justice

You sound like somebody who got "screwed" by trial lawyers due to your own gross incompetence and stupidity. But no, really, you're right, people (well, poor people anyway) shouldn't be able to sue their betters, or a business, for any reason.

It is amusing that you actually think that the scum sucking maggot trial lawyers care about the "poor people".

varmitydog:Used to be they would make you read stuff like "man without a country" in English class, now they stomp on the flag. Then pay the douchebag so he won't sue when they can his sorry ass. This is not a change for the better.

Monkeyhouse Zendo : Ah the halcyon days of Leave It To Beaver, where men were men, women were women, and the blacks knew there place. Amirite?

It appears to me that you applaud this fellow. I don't, I consider him to be a jackass. Even if what he did was technically legal, it was still in extremely poor taste. They still say the pledge of allegiance in most schools, then later on in the day one of your teachers stomps on a flag? WTF?Get his sorry ass the hell out of there.

With all the advances society has made since the 60's, both socially and technically, I consider that the current world we live in to be noticeably less friendly and a whole lot less cool to live in then the era you mock. We live in a time that is less tolerant of antisocial or aberrant behavior, more heavily regulated and policed, certainly more litigious, and overall ... meaner. Years ago they would have dismissed this dude for being a jerk and that would have been the end of it. Now, to some folks he is some kind of hero, and to others he deserves jail............. depending on your political affiliation of course. It's downright depressing, actually. I hate what this society has become; an Orwellian police state full of litigious, angry people.

As a private citizen Chapin High School teacher Scott Compton has the right to burn or stomp on whatever flag he wants . As a public school teacher in his place of employment, while on the clock, as part of his lesson plan-not so much.

TheBigJerk:Okoboji: I'm a bit confused... HE stomped on the flag and HE'S getting the money?

I don't give a damn who stomps on it (it's a hollow symbol - sort of like painting yourself your favorite team colors on game day), but I'm not following how he is being paid for it.

I can only assume this is going to set a precedent.

As a bit of side note: The 'truck' (not sure if that's the proper spelling) at the top of a military base's main flag (at command headquarters) holds a razor blade, a 'light anywhere' match and a bullet. The intent is if the post is taken by enemy forces, the ranking officer drives a vehicle into the pole to knock down the flag, slices it up with the razor, sets it on fire and then shoots themselves in the head - a sort of final act of defiance. That question is asked from time to time during military promotion interviews and a number of people get it wrong.

He was FIRED, and was paid 85k to not sue for wrongful termination. If I remember teacher salaries and assume he had a Master's Degree that would be 1.5 year's salary. -ish.

According to TFA he got 85k + salary + 32k legal fees.

$85,000 to avoid a legal challenge.....in addition to his salary through June 7. Compton resigned as part of the settlement after criticism about his actions last December. The documents also show that the school district will pay attorney fees of nearly $32,000 for Compton.

Pocket Ninja:There should have been a clause requiring the involved officials to state publicly that "we are grandstanding buffoons who were about to get our asses handed to us in court who don't understand the empty patriotism we toss around like confetti." The only real shame here is that the taxpayers are paying this fine, not the morons who caused it to be incurred.

Adolf Oliver Nipples:Freedom isn't free, especially when you oppose it. If you ever wondered why school districts need more and more money, just follow the lawsuits. I'll bet that $85,000 could have been used for purposes other than fighting a lawsuit which was guaranteed to be a loser.

Repo Man:People_are_Idiots: ghare: Dadoody: Only in this country is this possible.

Do something like this in Communist China or North Korea, and your butt gets hauled to a forced labor camp.

It's a double edged sword though - those same morons who stomp on flags and take extreme liberties with their liberties are the same people who also demand more government, which in turn starts restricting liberties.

demands more gov't -> [media.katu.com image 660x454] <- more gov't

Sooo, you want to live in the places where they treat people correctly, like North Korea? And you also thin that people who advocate for government programs to help the needy ALSO want more military, and want to be assaulted by police for exercising their First Amendment right??

Actually, he is right. Have you seen a Tea Partier stomp or burn the flag? Wear it maybe, but never stomp or burn it.

Authoritarians tend to be flag fetishists.

I just pointed out that tea partiers never burn or stomp the flag. Would I? Nope, not to -any- flag (it's disrespectful). Do I care if another does it? Nope.

varmitydog:varmitydog: Used to be they would make you read stuff like "man without a country" in English class, now they stomp on the flag. Then pay the douchebag so he won't sue when they can his sorry ass. This is not a change for the better.

Monkeyhouse Zendo : Ah the halcyon days of Leave It To Beaver, where men were men, women were women, and the blacks knew there place. Amirite?

It appears to me that you applaud this fellow. I don't, I consider him to be a jackass. Even if what he did was technically legal, it was still in extremely poor taste. They still say the pledge of allegiance in most schools, then later on in the day one of your teachers stomps on a flag? WTF?Get his sorry ass the hell out of there.

With all the advances society has made since the 60's, both socially and technically, I consider that the current world we live in to be noticeably less friendly and a whole lot less cool to live in then the era you mock. We live in a time that is less tolerant of antisocial or aberrant behavior, more heavily regulated and policed, certainly more litigious, and overall ... meaner. Years ago they would have dismissed this dude for being a jerk and that would have been the end of it. Now, to some folks he is some kind of hero, and to others he deserves jail............. depending on your political affiliation of course. It's downright depressing, actually.I hate what this society has become; an Orwellian police state full of litigious, angry people.

Heaven forfend that people or institutions be held accountable for their actions. A power structure that acted as an authoritarian oligarchy and relentlessly enforced a single POV (fortunately one that you agreed with) must have seen like a paradise compared to the mess that real democracy is, where people and opinions you don't like are not crushed out of hand.

Do something like this in Communist China or North Korea, and your butt gets hauled to a forced labor camp.

There are a few more countries on this planet than the US, China and Best Korea.Having spent a good portion of my life in western Europe, I'm pretty sure if you'd stomp on anyone's flag over there, you wouldn't even get a second look.

varmitydog:With all the advances society has made since the 60's, both socially and technically, I consider that the current world we live in to be noticeably less friendly and a whole lot less cool to live in then the era you mock. We live in a time that is less tolerant of antisocial or aberrant behavior, more heavily regulated and policed, certainly more litigious, and overall ... meaner.

Are you high, or just unable to see past the end of your own nose?

You wanna one what a lot of people consider abberant? Homosexuality. Women's Rights. Or, fark, even race mixing.

And if you think I'm resorting to hyperbole: my fiance's parents had to go to *another portion of the country* to get married, because miscegnation ('abberant' behavior) was still illegal in Virginia.

In short:

You are so massively wrong with regard to that, I'm not sure how to respond.

Your Average Witty Fark User:Pocket Ninja: There should have been a clause requiring the involved officials to state publicly that "we are grandstanding buffoons who were about to get our asses handed to us in court who don't understand the empty patriotism we toss around like confetti." The only real shame here is that the taxpayers are paying this fine, not the morons who caused it to be incurred.

Adolf Oliver Nipples: Freedom isn't free, especially when you oppose it. If you ever wondered why school districts need more and more money, just follow the lawsuits. I'll bet that $85,000 could have been used for purposes other than fighting a lawsuit which was guaranteed to be a loser.

Done in two and three.

Not really. Take the example of the Rutgers coach yelling fairy at his players. Same freedom of speech. Liberals wanted him fired.

The government isn't stopping him from stepping on flags. He can do it on his free time. Thwy don't think it is proper behavior for their employee. They are an employment entity in this regard. Again. ussc has ruled on limited free speech rights when they would disrupt an educational institution. This is not a free speech issue.

MyRandomName:The government isn't stopping him from stepping on flags. He can do it on his free time. Thwy don't think it is proper behavior for their employee. They are an employment entity in this regard. Again. ussc has ruled on limited free speech rights when they would disrupt an educational institution. This is not a free speech issue.

FTA:A South Carolina high school teacher removed from the classroom when he stomped on an American flag while discussing freedom

That bolded portion of the article quote makes it a free speech issue. Context matters to the court system. Had the teacher been doing a section on Advanced Differential Calculus, it would not have been a free speech issue. However, he was specifically discussing what constitutes free speech and the school, after they had already taken inappropriate action, realized that the courts would likely rule in the teacher's favor.

(NOTE: I could not find a copy of the Lexington-Richland District 5 Code of Conduct, so what follows is speculation.)

Additionally, according to the full article in The State newspaper, "Lexington-Richland 5 has no standards for treatment of the flag," but implies, "Compton violated conduct expected of teachers." So, the District doesn't have anything written down about the flag and is vague about what rule he did violate to be dismissed. It sounds, to me, like they had no legitimate reason to fire him.